Job #136:
The Savior of the Ark
Officer Howard
What is Astral Chain?
Released on August 30, 2019 worldwide on the Nintendo Switch, Astral Chain is an action-adventure hack and slash video game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Nintendo. The game’s combat revolves around the controlling of two characters, Officer Howard and their Legion in order to tear through hordes of enemies. The combat is extremely combo focused, with extra emphasis on ground-based combat. By making use of the Legion, the player will be able to set up strategies to effectively control the stage. As of March 31, 2020, the game has enjoyed a success of 1.08 million copies sold, making it one of Nintendo’s best selling new IPs on the Switch system.
The story is set on a dystopian planet Earth, where an extradimensional threat known as Chimeras have rendered most of the planet uninhabitable. This has caused the survivors of humanity to take refuge on an artificial landmass known as the Ark, a project spearheaded by scientist Yoseph Calvert. Though humanity is relatively safe on the Ark, the landmass developing its own culture over time, several issues still continue to plague it. For example, a large chimera outbreak happened in an area known as Zone 09, forcing the government to quarantine that location. The state of the Zone has caused unrest among the citizens who were unwillingly trapped there. Additionally, the existence of Chimeras is a complete secret that is hidden from the general public. The invisible threat continues to corrupt - or redshift - surviving citizens into hostile Aberrations that cannot be returned to their past human self. This phenomenon has forced the government and science to research the origins of Chimera in order to curb the threat. Eventually, progress is made and it is found that Chimeras can be captured and weaponized, thus turning hostile Chimeras into Legions. These Legions are eventually given to an elite task force within the police, known as Neuron.
Who is Officer Howard?
Officer Howard is one of two new recruits to the Neuron task force, the other being their twin sibling Akira Howard. Despite objections from their adoptive father and captain of Neuron, Maximilian Howard, they are the most qualified to wield the experimental Legions in battle. The twins receive their Legions and begin their war against the otherworldly chimera threat. Following an investigation in Zone 36, Officer Howard is dragged into the Astral Plane by a large chimera. When the other Neuron officers arrive on scene, the powerful redshift energy causes the officers to grow weak, forcing them to scramble for an exit. Eventually, the Legions become corrupted with redshift, breaking free from their masters and attacking them. Of all the officers, only Ofc. Howard is able to regain control of their legion. After emerging from the Astral Plane, Neuron finds the Sync level of the Legion and Ofc. Howard is extremely high, thus making them an important asset to the Ark. Throughout the game, the player is tasked with solving missions by the commander of Neuron, Yoseph Calvert. While Akira eventually does regain a set of Legions, their insecurity over the events that happened in the Astral Plane and weakness compared to their sibling leads to conflicts between the two. These conflicts as well as missions culminate into a greater whole at the game’s climax, which provides an explanation as to why Legions were created and the purpose of the Legionis…
Astral Chain’s Presence in Smash
Currently, there are 4 spirits to represent the game in Smash Bros. Ultimate - the player’s avatar in both male and female variants (albeit listed as Hero (ASTRAL CHAIN) in the spirit list) as well as Lappy, the mascot of the Ark Police Department, and Kyle Merkulov, the leader of a hacking ring in Zone 09 and a minor antagonist. In Smash Bros. Infinite, this representation is increased significantly with two additional spirits, Brenda Moreno and Olive Espinosa, supporting characters and key figures in Neuron. In addition to spirits, several of the game’s music is present in the game. This includes boss battle music such as
Jena Anderson and level music such as
Ark Mall (Combat Phase) to name a few. Most notably, there is the Shell Chimera enemy in Smash Dungeon, which mimics its behavior in Astral Chain.
Astral Chain definitely has much more content that is a perfect fit for Smash Bros. In addition to a fighter, the gargantuan bosses of the series will make for excellent fights. There are many minor and major characters alike that will function well as Assist Trophies and spirits, such as Jena, Kyle, and Hal. In addition, the game features many breathtaking locations on the Ark and Astral Plane that could function amazingly as stages. The music in the game is one of the best that the Nintendo Switch system has to offer, from high energy battle themes to ambient sounds to powerful vocal tracks. The seamless transition between these songs allow for an immersive experience while playing the game and a wonderful listening experience.
How would Ofc. Howard Play?
As mentioned before, Astral Chain features a double combat system based on intricate control of the Legion. As such, it would be criminal not to focus on this part of gameplay in Ofc. Howard’s moveset. This would make them a puppeteer character, similar to Rosalina and Luma. Unlike Rosalina, however, Ofc. Howard would have greater control over their puppet, the focus on moving and positioning key to the match at hand.
Without the Legion, Officer Howard has a weapon at hand - their trusty X-Baton, which is a standard weapon entrusted to police officers throughout the Ark. It is capable of transforming from its base baton mode, to a blaster similar to Fox’s and to an Axe (though known as a Gladius). In addition to managing the Legion, the player must also manage their weapon choice in order to complement their Legion and maximize the effectiveness of their attacks.
In addition to their X-Baton, Ofc. Howard also has a diverse set of Legions at their disposal. Ofc. Howard can have one active Legion at a time and sending them out takes energy, which forces them to disappear if a meter is depleted. Once sent out, the Legion will stay in place and attack any enemy that comes close, though it can be moved freely so long as the Astral Chain has enough reach. The Legions have purpose in and out of battle including attacking, digging up items, being a suit for Ofc. Howard to wear, and curing redshifted citizens. The Sword Legion is the standard Legion, which has balanced speed and attack, making it useful throughout the game. The Arrow Legion focuses on projectiles and attacking from a distance, which is extremely important for taking care of enemies in a distance. The Arm Legion occupies a strange niche, focusing on powerful attacks as well as throws. The Beast Legion focuses on extreme speed and evading attacks, allowing for Ofc. Howard to ride on its back. Finally, the Axe Legion emphasizes defense and even stronger attacks than the Arm Legion. Each Legion has a varied skill set that the player must utilize in both combat and exploration. This diversity provides a unique niche in the Smash Bros. roster, with a puppeteer character focused on controlling the stage with various options for doing so.
The options that Ofc. Howard with and without their legion present strong moveset potential that will both accurately represent the game and be fun to play in Smash Bros. Recovery options including riding on the Beast Legion and Chain Jumps, attacks utilizing both Legion and X-Baton, and Final Smash using the spoiler are all examples of how an Astral Chain newcomer could work in Smash Bros.
Potential Issues Addressed
Q: Why add an Astral Chain character?
First and foremost, Officer Howard represents a new intellectual property for Nintendo, one that has debuted on the Switch nonetheless. As Smash is first and foremost a video game for Nintendo and a vessel for the company to advertise, it would make sense to have a representative for one of their most profitable new franchises. Astral Chain is one of these, and with rumored sequels in the works, it only makes sense to advertise. Additionally, Astral Chain represents a strong connection with Platinum Games, whose partnership with Nintendo grows closer by the day. In a non-advertisement standpoint, an Astral Chain character provides an interesting moveset that has previously been only explored by Rosalina. By expanding on the puppeteer playstyle, it would increase the variety of Smash Bros. The moveset potential of Ofc. Howard and the success of Astral Chain definitely put it into a desirable place to be added in Smash Bros.
Q: Isn’t their name “Akira?”
Akira is the name of the sibling of the protagonist, the avatar that the player does not choose in the beginning. Akira goes down another path compared to the player and their personality and abilities in the end is different than the player’s Ofc. Howard. They also have a completely different set of Legions than the player, thus, naming Ofc. Howard “Akira” would be a disservice to both of the characters and grossly inaccurate. Though the player does have some default names, there are no set names similar to Byleth or Corrin. There are other names for Ofc. Howard that can be used - “Legionis” is used by characters in game sometimes, “Hero” is used by Smash Bros.
Q: Wouldn’t having the Legions out be too taxing on the system?
Ofc. Howard does not have to use all 5 Legions, thus, if the system cannot handle the Legions, they can be limited to Smash Attacks and Specials. Though it would be unfortunate to not have all five Legions or a greater control of the Legions, it would still be accurate to the source material and without problem.
Final Arguments
- Officer Howard is from a highly successful new IP that represents a strong connection with a partner company
- Officer Howard has strong moveset potential that has only been slightly explored before and thus would be an interesting new way to fight
- The Legion would be completely different to Rosalina’s Lumas in how they play and interact with the stage
- Astral Chain’s soundtrack is full of consistent bangers and not having them in Smash along with a character would be a crime
